The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1887-10-26
Plain Black and White.

Plain Black and White.
Editor Mirror:
The old negro story which has been told
for about all it is worth by Democrats,
Republicans. Prohibitionists and numerous
other organizations. is never told so well as
when told by the negro himself. Space
will not permit me to tell it as 1 would, but
here it is, condensed it as much as / can
make it.
THE PRISON MIRROR, which was es-
tablshed by the convicts, of the cOnvcts
and for the convicts, proved success until
lately. when it began to be whispered around
the prison that the negro element had gone
into conspiracy to make the rest of its
readers tired. L thought it best to censure
man openly. and 50 informed my colored
brothers. AS might have been expected,
they could not see the point, and the
thanks got was an article in THE MIRROR
called ''Race Love-" The whole thing
summed up amounts to nothing: in other
words it is unsophistcated negrOism dis
played in a penitentiary education, and
does not contain common horse sense. The
expected. He puts in his extra time paint
ing. Some of the boys call him an artist.
Now, have heard of negro poets, but who
ever heard of negro artist? Whether the
negro lives East. West. North or South:
whether he is on trial in this world or the
next one, he has place, and it is time he
knew it. He should speak when spoken to
and come when he is called. and be quick
about it. too.
1 have before me copy of two bills intro
duced-One in Georgia and one in Alabama
to stop the education and progress of the
negro, on the broad ground that education
inspires him with social equality. The
only cause for these bills is the action of
the northern negroes, who call themselves
twenty years ahead, and whose temptations
aspirations and imaginatiOns all tend toward
amalgamation. which in time would be the
ruinatiOn of the negro. or in other words,
he will be fit only to run a saloon. prize
fighting and lewd white women. For in
stance, Tim Graham and Black Diamond.
All this. too. when the northern press and
B. X. Bruce are declaring that the negro
does not want social equality but simply
his civil rights. l declare these northern
negroes make all the trouble. They have
misunderstood the 18th, 14th and 18th
amendments. and, excepting Fred Doug
lass whose case has some redeeming fea-
lures. have no respect for negroes who
run priZe-fghting saloons or seek to marry
out of the family. The writer wants to
know what know about Cleveland and
the democratic party. l know now his
election did not put negroes back into
slavery. as was anticipated, and the Missouri
negro may return when he gets through
working northern negro sympathy for all
it is worth. This is what l know about
Cleveland "You may have your slaves"
said Abe Lincoln, ''if you will lay down
your arms and come into the union in
ninety days. mop said Jeff Davis, 1--WE
did not start the war and we will not end
it." So you see this is how these Missouri
negroes got to Minnesota. who are now
trying to make believe they are
artists. This is what l know about the
democratic party.
Here is something for the Missouri negro
to remember: Abraham Lincoln and Jeff
Davis were born III Kentucky. They also
set their negroes free. and all negroes
should be grateful to Kentucky for pro-
ducing such men. She also produces the
best horses, whisky and the prettieSt wO-
men. Her negroes are peerless and could
not be reached by Missouri negro with a
forty foot pole. The best way can show
up II Missouri negro is through negro
na,r,,d Snnho who went out one morning